Field of the Disclosure
The following is directed to methods of forming workpieces using abrasive tools, and more particularly, use of grinding tools for grinding and finishing surfaces of workpieces.
Description of the Related Art
Within the grinding industry, various processes may be employed to form workpieces. However, in the particular context of forming workpieces having a low machinability rating (i.e., difficult to machine), few options are available since operations for forming such workpieces require exacting surface contours and tight dimensional tolerances. Certain preferred approaches are milling or broaching, where blades are used to cut the shape in the workpiece, as opposed to grinding processes. However, broaching can be an expensive operation, due to high tooling costs, expensive machinery, set-up costs, tooling regrinding costs and slow material removal rates. Milling processes are generally very slow, especially in machining difficult-to-machine materials, such as nickel alloys.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop new methods to form surfaces of workpieces.